Monday, September 11, 2017

Classmate Collin Lee has just brought this article to our attention; it speaks to some interesting aspects of the "atoms vs. bits" debate, and the importance of bits ruling atoms in the O2O market. Key quote:

Judging by recent developments, the pure e-commerce model may not be long for the U.S. either. That Amazon and eBay are the only true online shopping sites in the U.S. with any real influence is one piece of evidence. So is the fact that small online retailers are struggling to gain a foothold, while legacy retailers such as Walmart are snapping up online merchants. And yet the most vivid illustration of O2O in action is the escalating turf-war between Amazon and Walmart.

A further short observation, relevant to acquisitions made this summer, rounds out this analysis:

“Just as Walmart is using Bonobos to get access to higher-end consumers and a more technologically savvy way of selling clothes, Amazon is using Whole Foods to get the expertise and physical presence it takes to sell fresh foods,” The New York Times reported.